Group Fighting To Retake The Streets

NEWPORT NEWS — Elder John Shields is a former drug dealer turned street preacher. Shaun Brown is an Oxford graduate who runs an international consulting firm.

An unlikely combination maybe. But together, the southeast Newport News residents decided a comprehensive approach was needed to succeed where other efforts have failed in addressing the issues of blight, gangs and hopelessness that plague their neighborhood.

They brainstormed and in September formed a coalition with other activists to retake the streets.

It's called Restore Inner-City Peace, or RIP for short.

The group's first big effort kicks off Saturday morning with a mock funeral procession intended to raise awareness of the persistent violence in the southeast area of Newport News.

On Tuesday, they will travel by bus to Washington to join millions of others in being a part of President-elect Barack Obama's historic inauguration.

Shields and Brown say now, more than ever, is the time for members of every community to capture the widespread enthusiasm for change and put it to work in the community.

A diverse group of 50 or so active members in RIP have worked diligently for weeks to develop a recovery plan for the southeast neighborhood that is centered on community investment.

RIP is trying to enlist church members, business owners and area residents to partner on varied efforts like educational outreach and job skills training to make the embattled community viable again and open long-closed doors to business and residential development.

They are preparing the necessary documents to seek federal funding through Obama's proposed stimulus package for job creation in areas like green technology.

But Brown said none of that will happen if the southeast community can't first come to grips with the problems of gangs and violence.

"No one will come to help us help ourselves if they have to duck a bullet to come to the community to establish a store or build houses," Brown said.

On Saturday, the group's mock funeral procession is expected to draw hundreds of people. It will pass many of the sites where violent deaths have occurred as it moves from Newsome Park Elementary School to Miracle Temple, where a memorial service will be held.

Shields said it will draw from an ongoing exhibit he has compiled since 1993 that chronicles most of the community's violent deaths.

Organizers want the event to sound a call for peace and bring together people who can work to make the group's goals happen.

"It's up to us. I can't sweep up your house," Shields said. "We have to take care of our own. Things that aren't right, we need to set straight."

In witnessing the inauguration of the country's first black president, the group hopes to network and gain exposure for their cause, but also to capitalize on the excitement and interest in public service spurred by Obama's victory.

"I see now an unprecedented level of support and commitment to making things better," Brown said. "A lot is the Obama campaign effect. There's a sense of activism and 'What can we do next?' Our concern is being ready for what is next.

"We want to be in this moment in history," Brown said.

WANT TO GO?

* The Restore Inner-City Peace procession will form at 8 a.m. at Newsome Park Elementary School at Marshall Avenue and 44th Street and leave at 9:30 a.m.

* The march will end with a memorial service at Miracle Temple at Jefferson Avenue and 32nd Street.